Mushroom light



R F. DOWNEY. MUSHROOM LIGHT. APPLICATION FILED NOV-17,1921.

, Patented Mar. 21,1922.

Ecfiari 3.501407% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF '10 WILLIAM J. CARY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MUSHROOM ITIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d I 21 2 Application filed November 17, 1921. Serial No. 515,876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD F. DowNEY, a citizenof the United States and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mushroom Lights; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to crossingjsignals especially designed for safety at the junctions of intersecting streets.

The particular object of my invention is to provide an improvement over the general type of mushroom or dome lights, wherein the skeleton dome is capable of yielding reciprocation within its housing and thus eliminate serious accidents, which in practice, develop in domes of this type wherein such domes are rigid structures projecting above the bed of the road.

- Hence, my invention provides a means for permitting the cage or dome to yield downwardly when it is inadvertently struck or run over by a vehicle.

With the above object in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth, with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of a crossing signal embodying the features of my invention, parts being broken away in section to more clearly illustrate details of construction, and

Figure 2 is'a cross section of the same, the section being indicated by line 22 of Figure 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents a cylindrical housing which is sunk into a well provided for the purpose.-

It is understood that the housing may be connected to suitable overflow pipes whereby moisture inadvertently entering it will drain ofl to the usual sewer. The housing is formed at its top portion with a beveled bead 1, which bead merges into an inwardly extended flange 2, the flange being positioned slightly above the ground or bed line.

The flange 2 is formed with radial apertures 3 for the reception of downwardly extended spokes 4 of a conical skeleton dome 4", the spokes radiating from a central pad portion as shown in Figure 2; The spokes 4:

terminate with feet 4 which feet-normally socket within the radial recesses 3 of the housing flange. w

The feet of the spokes are supported by a reciprocative head 5, the same being in the form of a hollow piston and having its side walls 5 in bearing contact with the inner side walls of the housing 1. The housing 1 and head 5 are preferably cylindrical, in which case the head is held against rotary movement in the housing by a key-bolt 6 that extends through the head flange and engages a keyway 6 formed in the housing wall. Obviously if these relatively movable parts are formed polygonal in shape, the keyway construction may be eliminated. The flange 5 of the head has fitted therein a gasket ring 7 which bears against the wall of the housing and thus eflectively seals the oint between these parts whereby moisture and dust is, under normal conditions, prevented from dropping into the well.

The head 5 and dome parts are preferably made separable for convenience in assemblage and for access to the Well when repairs are necessary, or for renewal of lights, etc. Hence, it is desirable to prevent relative rotation of the head and dome and for this purpose I provide the spoke feet 4 with dowel pins 7 which enter suitable sockets in the head 5 as shown. The head 5 is formed with a projecting disc portion 5" which disk portion as shown in Figure 2 is of the same diameter as the inner diameter of the housing flange2 and hence when the parts are in their normal position this disc portion of the head in conjunction with the inturned flange 2 forms an uninterrupted closure cap for the well, whereby said well is hermetically sealed. The head 5 is also formed with a downwardly extended centrally disposed hub 8 which hub is in telescopic union with a sleeve 8 that projects forwardly from a brace bar 9, the same being secured to the housing walls. Interposed between the brace bar and lower face of the head disc 5 is a coil spring 10 which coil spring normally holds the head firmly in contact with the flange 2 of the housing. The disc portion of the head has mounted therein a suitable light bulb 11, the same being supplied with current for illuminating purposes through feed wires 11' that may be led off from the well by a suitable conduit. The light bulb II is incased in a suitable transparent globe 12 of any suit-able design or color whereby the mushroom is rendered visible at ni ht.

From the oregoing description it will be seen that the dome is normally held above the bed of the road or street so as to be visible at a distance and when the dome is accidentally struck by an oncoming vehicle it will yield downwardly to a posittion indicated in dotted lines Figure 2, whereby the vehicle can travel from the signal device without danger to the occupants or damage to such vehicle. Obviously if the vehicle has passed thereover the dome will automatically rise and assume its normal position.

In other words, when the dome is struck it will automatically telescope within its housing and assume a plane approximately common to the plane of the road bed.

While I have shown and described one simple exemplification of my invention in all of its details, I may without departing from the spirit thereof vary the structural features within the scope of the claims as they may hereinafter be interpreted by those skilled in the art. a

I claim as my invention 1. A crossing signal, comprising a substantially vertical yieldable dome mounted to project normally above the bed of a road,

the same being yieldably mounted so as to' sink approximately to the line of the plane of the road bed when opposed by load strain and means associatedwith the signal dome for illuminating the same.

approximately flush .with a road bed, a

skeleton dome mounted to telescope with the housing, and yieldable means associated with the dome and housing for normallymaintaining said dome above the road bed.

3. A crossing signal comprisinga skeleton framework, a lamp mounted within the same, the whole being yieldably supported so as to extend above the road bed but being bodily movable downwardly in a vertical direction when opposed by load strain to a position Where its 'upper point is approximately in the plane of the upper surface of the road bed. I

4. A crossing signal comprising a cylindrical housing sunk in the road-pavement with its axis vertical and its upper end approximately flush with the surface of the pavement, a skeleton framework telescopi cally mounted within the housing and having the surface of its upper end inclined upwardly from its periphery to its center, said framework being normally held with said center above the plane of the road bed, but yieldable so as to sink within the housing when opposed by a vehicle wheel traveling thereover, and a light mounted within the framework.

. In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin. I RICHARD F. DOWNEY. 

